Getting electricity has always been a problem for the 173 people living in Nuevo Saposoa, a small village in Peru,South America. However, things went from bad to worse in March 2015 after heavy rains damaged the only power cables(电力电缆) in the area. The villagers were forced to use oil lamps, which are not only expensive but also dangerous because of the harmful gases they produce.

Luckily, researchers at the University of Technology(UT)in Lima, Peru heard about their problem and found a wonderful solution. They made a lamp that can be powered by plants and soil, both of which can be easily found in the Amazonian rainforest where the village lies. The lamp takes energy from a plant growing in a wooden box and uses it to light up an LED light bulb.

While that may sound amazing and even impossible, the science behind the ides is quite simple. As plants create their food (using the sun’s energy, water and chemicals from the soil), they also produce waste which they return to the soil. Tiny animals in the soil eat this waste and they produce electrons—the building blocks of electrical energy. The UT team put special sticks inside the soil to capture the energy and keep it in the lamp’s batteries for later use. The researchers say a single charge can power a 50-watt Led light for two hours-enough time for local villagers to get their evening work done.

The university gave ten Plant Lamps to the villagers of Nuevo Saposoa in October 2015. So far, they have been a huge success! Elmer Ramirez, the UT professor who invented the lamp, believes the Plant Lamp could help improve the lives of many people, especially small rainforest communities, 42% of whom have no electricity.

1.What are the problems of oil lamps according to Paragraph 1?

A.They are difficult to use and create pollution.

B.They are expensive to buy and easily damaged.

C.They are difficult to repair and produce little light.

D.They are expensive to use and can be bad for health.

2.The electricity made by the Plant Lamp comes from________.

A.plant food B.plant waste C.the soil’s heat D.the sun’s energy

3.What is true about the Plant Lamp?

A.It can be made by local people.

B.It is much easier to use than oil lamps.

C.It can produce all the electricity the village need.

D.The things it needs to make electricity are easy to find.

4.Who can benefit (受益) most from the Plant Lamp according to its inventor?

A.The rainforest communities. B.Poor people in cíties.

C.Farmers in Lima. D.The UT team.

5.What is the purpose of the passage?

A.To report on a new invention. B.To explain a new scientific theory.

C.To describe how electricity is made. D.To discuss the problems of poor villages.

If you could choose, would you rather be a genius (天才) or a common person? This was the question our teacher asked us after we watched a movie called Gifted. In the movie, a girl named Mary shows amazing mathematical talent at the age of 7 and feels bored school. Her uncle Frank thinks that she should stay in her normal school. However, Mary's grandmother Evelyn believes that Mary is a genius who should be taught specially in mathematics.

The reason for their argument comes from Frank's sister. She too was a promising mathematician, but killed herself when Mary was six months old. She suffered from Evelyn's push throughout her life. Frank doesn't want the same thing to happen to Mary. After many talks and fights, Mary goes to stay with Frank and takes college-level courses while playing with kids her own age.

The story of this movie is simple, but the theme it ties to express is very controversial (有争议的). We can't say that Evelyn-style education is wrong. It can help gifted children to show their potential (潜力) the most. But a natural gift can sometimes be a kind of stress, as it can make children feel too different from kids their own age. Too much attention to their talent can make them feel lonely in the society and lead to mental health problems. Many historical geniuses, including English mathematician Sir Isaac Newton and English writer Virginia Woolf, had similar problems. I'm glad that by the end of the movie, Mary finds a way to balance her talent and her childhood.

根据短文内容,回答下列问题。

1.What was the name of the movie?

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2.How old was Mary when her aunt killed herself?

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3.How may Mary feel under the stress of being a genius according to the passage?

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4.Who are the geniuses mentioned(提到) in the passage?

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5.Did the movie have a happy ending?

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